We started the day out at Ruby Lee Clark's house, a descendant of a German settler, she still speaks German fluently. (I found out that many families here speak German and have a heavy German accent.) Her house has been in the family for generations and is like a museum. We were supposed to paint the house for its architecture, but her yard, which was on a large corner lot, was a museum of its own for garden accessories of all kinds. There was so much to pick from it was hard to decide! I could paint there for a week and never run out of things to paint.There were two choices for lunch, Hilda's for burritos or the Herb Farm for healthier fare. I went with the local crowd to Hilda's. My chilie relleno burrito was $3.99 and it was good.
After lunch, I went with Barbara Bush (in black) to the one field of bluebonnets known to exist around town; Up close I discovered that bluebonnets are lupine, but don't dare call them lupine in Texas. We painted there for awhile and then went to another private property (below) for the rest of the afternoon. So, I started small in the morning and grew bolder as the day went on.
Cynthia drove to Austin to see her daughter and grandchildren after Ruby Lee's in the morning, so I found lots of willing new friends to haul me and my gear around.
3 comments:
I am sure the Herb Farm is great, but what could be healthier than a relleno burro? I suppose one could make green chili with lavender and split the difference. How was the Brew Pub? How about an 8x12 still life of a sweating pint of West Texas Red Ale?
Being military brats who lived in Germany, the German community of Fredericksburg (and of course, its annual Oktoberfest, deep in the heart of Texas!) is a place we've heard about. I think there may even have been a brat reunion there. It never occurred to me, however, that people would still be speaking German after several generations in the U.S. of all places. But it stands to reason, when ethnic German communities in Russia, Romania and even Brazil have kept their language and customs intact over centuries. Learn something new every day!
I also found out that for many of a certain generation that are now in their 50's spoke English as their SECOND language.
And, after talking to Ruby Lee last night at dinner, the house she lives in was not the family home; one of her siblings actually lives on the original farm;
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